Dawn's End by Bonnie Ferrante

Betrayed by her fiancé, Nicole Newman has put her love life on hold. She loses herself in fantasy, becoming isolated and despondent. When a voice from the woods identifies himself as the man of her dreams and asks for her help, Nicole is unsure whether he is stalking her or about to take her on the adventure of a lifetime. Who, or what, is this mysterious being?

Dawn’s End, a place of simplicity and goodness, is being overcome by a gruesome darkness. Possessing bits of information, Nicole and the dark man know only that they must complete their quest before Nightfall becomes permanent. How far can she trust this not-quite-human? Can they save a world, possibly two, when Nicole isn’t sure she can save herself?

I was very pleasantly surprised with the adventure in the story. There were several interesting twists that I really enjoyed. When I was pitched by the author to review the story I was a little hesitant that the romance would overwhelm the rest of the story but it was a good balance between adventure, world building and romance. I was also a little nervous about the fact that the main character had a fiancé and already graduated but I really do think that this story will appeal to teens that enjoy paranormal romance stories.
I thought it was really bold of Nicole to meet a stranger and trust him enough to go off with him, but isn't that a little bit of our fantasies. To meet a hot stranger that has an interest in us and wanting to explore the more dangerous side of life? Going on an adventure not knowing what will happen or who else we will meet. During their travels we get to meet several different characters and was a great addition to the story.
It's a page turner and I had a lot of fun reading it. I thought the romance was handled well, it was steamy but not overwhelmingly intense or overdone.
I did not think the story lacked at all, there was always something happening and new things coming into play as they went on their quest. Nicole actually played a really important part and was a smart, intelligent and emotionally relate-able main character.

@cubicleblindnesSelf Published review requests welcome cubicleblindness at gmail (no poetry, non-fiction or erotica)Intern for Entangled PublishingParticipant in several online book tour companies. I also write for www.tarasharp.com.au www.burnbright.com.au wwwmariannedepierres.com www.readingteen.net